Malice In Darkness
by frozenfemale
Summary: There's something out there that wants Hanagata.Something that only dwells in the dark. Jin, Sakuragi and Rukawa finds themselves totally lost,in the dark too!What will they do?THE malice WILL come... can they help Hanagata as they were supposed too?
1. Prologue

**Title: Malice in Darkness**

A/N: I know, I know. This is my third uncompleted fic (err… uncompleted as in still on the way to be completed). *Shields her face* I know, this is my second horror fic. And I also do know that this is my third fic starring Rukawa and Jin together. but please, do review it! To those who don't know, I have another horror fic called Terror… do pls read it. To those who do know, I think… believe that this fic is not as nice as Terror… so… don't tell me I didn't warn you. But… pls review anyway!!! So, anyway read on, review and most important of all, enjoy!!! Oh, and by the way, I have practically no idea where this fic is going, so I couldn't come up with a proper title and summary. Gomen!!!! If the title doesn't suit the fic in the end, pls forgive me. 

**Prologue**

            There was a faint blue glow. Rukawa, who had been nodding away after the sharp awakening when he was thrown into this dimension, widened his eyes, very awaked now. He looked at it, trying to discern what he was seeing. Slowly, he walked towards it. There was something about it… the familiarity… it was overpowering.

            And still, it continued emanating the eerie yet peaceful blue glow. His pace became faster. His strides, longer. 

            _What am I doing?_

_            Rukawa suddenly stopped. The tranquil blue glow, he realized, seemed to have some hypnotical power over him. He looked around, realizing only now, that he was surrounded by darkness._

            _Why is it all dark in here anyway? It's like I've been swallowed._

            Rukawa shifted his gaze to the beautiful glow, the only bright thing shining through the darkness that now enveloped Rukawa. 

_It was so… peaceful, so familiar_

_            But… who cares!_

            He started towards it again.

* * * * * * * * 

            Jin rubbed his eyes, and yet, the darkness didn't disappear. He didn't like this. The darkness was so thick that he couldn't even see his own palms, which were held out, right in front of his face. 

            'Hello? Uh… I'm very lost right now. Can anybody help me?' his voice cut through the empty silence, making it sound more hollow and empty.

            _It's so cold in here…_

            Then, the darkness was suddenly pierced by a beautiful green glow. 

            _It's so peaceful._

_            But there was something else… something making Jin feel uncomfortable, unsettled. The light… he could see the source of it. But… why did it strike him with so much… __familiarity?_

            The green glow seemed to call out to him. Jin hesitated, torn between his feelings and thoughts. He wanted to go. To pick up the thing that was letting out the wonderful light, but his mind wouldn't let him. His mind stopped his heart's intention, running at full speed, trying to understand the whole situation. 

            But his feelings got the better of him. He headed towards the green glow.

            _So serene.___

* * * * * * * * 

            'Where am I?' Sakuragi wondered aloud. 

            _It's so dark… and so cold._

_            Hellooo? Anyone? Tensai Sakuragi is here! Anyone willing to tell me where on Earth…,' Sakuragi looked around him, at the total darkness, then continued, 'or out of Earth have I landed?' He had shouted aloud, and yet, there was no answer. Worse, __there was no echo!_

            _This place must be… vast…_

            For once, Sakuragi used his brains to deduce that he was not caught in a small place. His voice had seemed like the only thing alive. There was no movement, not even of the wind. Not a sound could be heard, except his shallow breathing. There was no… no nothing. Just the envelope of darkness surrounding Sakuragi. 

            _How on Earth did I get here?_

_            What happened?_

            Sakuragi gave these questions a few seconds of thought, then dismissed them, now, acting a little more like normal self who didn't believe that Tensai(s) needed to think. 

'It doesn't matter to the Tensai!' he said out loud. The sound of his very sound of his own voice left him feeling very lonely… and scared. 

_Great! This is just great! I get thrown into a lightless world, and I have to wait here in the shivering cold for… who the hell knew what!! Who dare do such a thing to this Tensai?! When I get my hands on him, I'll give him a nice and proper head-butt!_

            He continued standing there like a stupid fool, looking around. It was quite a while before he realized that there was a faint purple glow suddenly lighting up the darkness, lifting his spirits a little.

            'Ei?' He blinked.

            'What's that?' he walked towards it, without hesitating although two thoughts did cross his mind. 

            _It's so placating._

_It's so… familiar._

But he didn't bother. He pushed those two thoughts aside and continued on towards it.

* * * * * * * *

            The three of them, in their own world, another dimension, reached it. It was just floating in the midair with an eerie, yet not at all sinister sense and air around it. They hesitated, and then picked it up, the thing that was the source of the light and peace. It was a ring. Not the type a girl would wear… it was… different. They put it on, exactly at the same time, though not knowing anything about each other. They had no idea that there were other people in here. The rings suddenly emitted three much stronger beams of light, shooting upwards, slantingly, and joined together, leaving three teenagers, looking very small compared to the light, staring up at it. 

Rukawa stared at the blue light from his ring that was joining up with two other beams; one green, another purple, his face still unemotional. 

Jin watched the green light combining with the other two, awe clearly written all over his face. 

Sakuragi was caught between confusion and shock at the beautiful sight above him. And for once, he felt small, looking at the majestic light.   

When the lights joined together, for a few seconds, they lighted up the whole area. Then, at that very moment, Rukawa, Jin and Sakuragi saw each other, faint, very far away, but they saw. It was only for a few seconds, then, it disappeared. The beautiful, majestic light just vanished! 

They were all left in darkness and confusion.

* * * * * * * * 

_What the hell?_

The darkness was getting heavier, the confusion, harder to bear. Rukawa felt desperately for the ring, but didn't… couldn't find it. Rukawa felt so vulnerable. Crazy though the idea was, he admitted it. In the darkness, alone, without the ring, he was terrified.

* * * * * * * * 

_I feel as if I'm surrounded by something… evil?_

Jin looked around, feeling terribly scared. He wanted, needed the ring. The ring, and its pure light seemed essential to him now. But it wasn't there. It wasn't on his forth finger, where he had put it on! 

Jin shivered. 

_The darkness… the malevolence… it's so strong._

* * * * * * * * 

Sakuragi blinked and felt for his ring.

'Ei? Was I dreaming?' he asked himself when he couldn't find it. But deep down, he knew it was no dream. Now, he felt suffocated by the darkness around him. There was something in the darkness… _everything out there held some kind of choking evil feeling. _

'Err… Jin-san? Kitsune?' he whispered, knowing well that there were too far to even hear his shout. 

Sakuragi looked up, hoping to see the majestic pure light again.

For once, the Tensai was scared. 

A/N: Okay, I know, real lame right? Anyway, please review it all the same. I don't mind flames!!! And God bless you all!!!! 


	2. A Dream? Hell NO!

**Title: Malice in Darkness**

A/N: Hey!!! Yup! It's me again… with my… er… hopefully passable fic. Well, do read it anyway, and excuse… whatever mistakes you may find! Thanks!!!

Krappkarmin: Yup! You're the first reviewer!!!! Thanks a lot!

**Chater1- A Dream…? Hell NO!**

            Rukawa suddenly sat upright on his bed, breathing heavily, sweat pouring out of him. 

            _What the hell was that?_

            A cold blade of fear pierced through him as him mind wondered back to the place he had been few _seconds_ ago. The darkness… and malice…

            _A dream?___

            Rukawa wasn't used to dreams. His sleeps were always peaceful and undisturbed. The concept of a dream in his sleep was so new… that he could hardly accept it. 

            He got up shakily, walking towards his window. Through the open window, he felt the cool wind blowing at his face, calming him a little. Then, lifting his head a little, he caught sight of the dark inky-black night sky. It was so terribly dark. Not a beam of light seemed to come from above. Not a star twinkled down. It reminded him strongly about his… _dream_.

            Rukawa snatched his gaze away from the sky, turning it towards his clock- 3.25 A.M. Then something odd struck Rukawa with such force that he had to grab the window-still to keep himself steady. It was hardly possible… to hell with that! It was damn near impossible for him to be awake at 3 A.M and not feel sleepy!

            He looked around him. With the light off, most of things in his room were shrouded with shadows, making the most harmless things appear tenaciously dangerous. He shuddered involuntarily. 

            Besides that… there was the silence… that was the other odd thing. He loved silence, but now, all he felt was, worry, and a little fear. There was a different quality in this silence. It was not normal silence one would hear in a modern country like Japan. It was more of a void. An abyss. Rukawa took several deep breaths, trying to regain his calm state, pushing illogical thoughts away from his mind. 

            _A void that would soon be filled with malice… evil…_

            Rukawa shuddered, more violently this time. That idea, unbidden, _inexplicable, _crossed his mind, making him lose the placidness he had managed to gain.

            _A dream?_

* * * * * * * * 

            Jin sat on his bed, wondering what the hell had happened in the past few minutes. It was a dream… it had to be one… but it seemed so different. It seemed to have a specific meaning, a specific… _something._

            'Jeez! What on Earth is wrong with me?'

            _It's pretty obvious what's wrong with you_. A voice seemed to echo in his head, taunting him.

            'Shut up! It was just a dream!' Jin muttered aloud, sinking his head onto his hands. And that was when he saw it.

            There was a mark on his fourth finger of his right hand, exactly where he had placed the green-glowing ring. It was as if the carvings on the ring had been printed onto his finger. 

            'Exactly where the ring had been…' he whispered.

            _A dream?_ The voice taunted him again. He ignored it, forcing his mind to think back, to make some _sense_ of this whole thing. But he couldn't remember if the ring had any carvings on it. 

            'Considering what happened, it would be weird if I actually did realized!' he muttered angrily. He took a deep breath, and walked towards the light switch. As soon light flooded into his room, lighting up the whole room, he picked up a magnified-glass that lay on the table, surrounded by his Science project. With it, he examined the markings on his finger, but he couldn't make it out. And for some reason or another, Jin felt as if the markings were written in a different language… but it had a meaning. 

            The wind blew softly, eerily emitting a soft, yet spine-tingling shriek. 

            _What do you say now?_ The taunting voice asked.

            _What the hell happened in there?_ Jin's mind wondered, totally ignoring the voice.

            _What on Earth _could_ have happened in there? In the darkness?_

* * * * * * * * 

            Sakuragi clenched and unclenched his fist, trying to get his breathing under control. Sitting on the bed at three in the morning, he realized that he was feeling a little nervous, which seldom happened. 

His mind whirled, trying to understand it. The dream was so vividly horrifying that his mind had troubles trying to work properly. 

_I was scared of… I'm actually scared of a… dream?_

Images of the light, majestic light ran across his mind, bringing the wonderful placid feeling along with it. And yet, together with it, he saw… felt the darkness… 

_There _was_ something out there!_

The idea was so strong, sudden, sure and so damn terrifying. Whether it was true or not, the trepidation, the fear was still there. And to make it worse, Sakuragi felt that it was true, believed that it was. There _was_ something out there, out there in the dark. 

He felt a debilitating fear grip him. He plopped down on the bed, his strength leaving him. It was so damn _illogical_! So why was he feeling so weak with fear?

_It was a DREAM! Nothing but that!_

Trying to quell the primal fear that was blossoming in him, he pushed all the other illogical thoughts aside. He was a Tensai, yeah, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have any dreams.

'My dreams are more realistic. Yeah, that's it! A Tensai's dream is always different,' he said. He stood up, trying to gain his strength back. 

And standing there, in the puddle of orange streetlight that slanted in through his window, Sakuragi knew, that for once, he couldn't believe what he told himself, even though it was about the 'genius' thingy.

* * * * * * * * 

            'RU- KA- WA!' 

            That was the first thing that greeted a-for-once-not-sleepy Rukawa. He ignored them, hoping that they would get bored and shut up. Usually, he couldn't care less, but today he felt different. He was more alert. Locking his bike, he walked to the first-year building. 

The sun was creeping up, chasing the cold morning air away… and yet, Rukawa felt cold. The sun couldn't warm his heart up… couldn't warm _him_ up. 

            'AHHHHHH! RUKAWA-KUN!' 

            Rukawa gritted his teeth. They were getting on his nerves. He knew that his anger would soon break through his normally cold and emotionless façade, and that had never happened since… he himself forgot when. He wasn't in the mood to have girls drooling over him at the moment. 

            'Ore wa tensai basketball…' the off-tune voice pierced through all the calls of his fanatic fans. 

            'Doa'ho,' he muttered, but the fact that Sakuragi was there yesterday… today morning, in the dream, didn't escape him. Suddenly, he shook his head violently, making his fans stare at him worryingly. He had enough thoughts about the dreams already! Pushing his thoughts away, he headed towards his class, and walked right into Sakuragi.

            'Kitsune! Watch where you're going!' Sakuragi said pushing Rukawa away. All around them, Rukawa's fan-girls screamed curses at Sakuragi. 

_            Everything is so normal…_

            Rukawa tried to slip back into his old self, his normal self, the way everything else was normal, and succeeded. The screams became fainter to him, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

            'Doa'ho.' 

            'Nani?!' The red-head shouted at him, with his four side-kicks cheering him on.

            'Go Hanamichi!!' However, all the female voices around them drowned their shouts. They cried loudly for Rukawa. Rukawa, on the other hand, ignored them all, including Sakuragi, which only made him angrier. 

            'Sakuragi-kun?' The tall redhead suddenly stopped in the midst of throwing a punch at Rukawa. A blush creeping up his cheeks, he turned towards the love of his life, walking towards them. 

            'Ah… Ha… Haruko-san!' he stammered. Rukawa stared unbelievingly at Sakuragi, wondering how the guy could be so stupidly straight and idiotically honest. With his limited vocab, he tried to find a word to provoke Sakuragi and yet at the same time tell him how stupid he was. After a while of thinking, he finally settled for… 

            'Yare, yare' Trying to shut all the noise out, he walked away, hands in his pocket. Sakuragi turned towards him, filled with anger, and lifted his right hand, palms out, showing Rukawa the five long fingers he had. 

            'Kitsune! Watch your mouth, or you'll have this mark on your face,' he growled.

            _How dare he make fun of this Tensai in front of my beloved Haruko?_

            Angry cries arouse from all the girls surrounding them. But Sakuragi ignored them, looking straight at Rukawa. 

            Rukawa eyes widen. Sakuragi was a little taken aback at the shock and fear the normally emotionless face held. But the look only passed through his face. It returned to its normal look in less then a second. Sakuragi blinked wondering whether that look really crossed his face.

            'Doa'ho,' he said, yet again, walking away, leaving all the commotion behind him. After a while, when he felt that he was alone, safe, he extended his right palm, and looked at his forth finger, where he had placed the ring last night, in the uh…_ dream_

            It was there! The markings on Sakuragi's finger were on his too!

            _A dream?… Hell NO!_

_            That was no dream!_

 A/N: Is it too short? I'm not that sure… well thanks for bearing through and reading the whole thing… I hope you enjoyed it!!! I know, I know, it sucks pretty bad… *sighs* Er… BTW, you could help me a lot by reviewing too! *grins* I don't mind flames!!!


	3. Alone

**Title: Malice in Darkness**

A/N: Chapter two up now!!!!! Oh and BTW, this fic is NOT based on LOTR, nor did I even get the idea from it! In fact, that was the last thing on my mind when I wrote this! Actually, I planned for them to be wearing bangles… but it was kinda off for guys to do that right? So I settled for rings. 

Slamdunker88-What happened to the 'I'll make you review all the chapters' WY??

Emerald Space2-Thanks for saying so

Ayu-Thanks, do continue reading my other fic and reviewing it too!

**Chapter 2- Alone**

            It was a pretty long time before someone-which was Yohei-pointed out the markings on Sakuragi's finger. In fact, it was lunchtime when that happened.

            'Hanamichi, What's that?'

            'Ei?' Sakuragi asked, jerking out of a fantasy, where he and Haruko were walking alone in a distant…

_…dark_

            …land. Sakuragi shook his head violently.

            _Where did that word come from? It was just a DREAM dammit!_

            'Hanamichi, daijoubu ka?' Yohei asked with concern. Sakuragi turned towards him, trying his best to clear is whirling brain.

            'Daijoubu… What did you ask me?' 

            'What is that?' Yohei repeated, pointing at Sakuragi's fourth finger. Sakuragi glanced at it indifferently, but upon seeing the markings, started looking intently at it. His mind threw thousands of unreasonable explanations to what that marking stood for… but the most prominent one was…

            _Shut up! Shutupshutupshutupshutup!!!!!!!!_

_            He tried to push the thought away, but to no avail._

            _Exactly where you placed the ring…_

            Sakuragi shook his head again, more violently this time. A few students at the cafeteria looked at him, a little surprised. 

            _He's slow, Rukawa thought to himself, totally forgetting that it was Sakuragi himself who had made him aware of the little meaningless-or at least so he thought-mark on his finger._

            'Hanamichi?' Takamiya this time. He ignored them all, his mind still spinning.

            _Can you still believe that it was nothing but a dream?_

            At that exact same moment, the image of Rukawa's frightened look emerged and plastered itself onto the surface of his mind. 

            _He saw it too! That was why he looked so scared! _

            _He has it too!_

            That was too much for Sakuragi. He pushed his chair aside, toppled some of his milk in the attempt of getting up, mumbled something about a full bladder, and left the cafeteria. He walked with long strides, earning more then just a few glances from his fellow school-mates. But his mind was so full of thoughts that he didn't notice their questioning looks, nor did he realize that Rukawa was outside the cafeteria, waiting for him, until he bumped right into him. 

            Rukawa's eyes flicked towards his fingers which were held out in front of him, then back towards his face.

            'You're slow in noticing facts, doa'ho,' he muttered. Sakuragi bristled, but only a little. His fright was getting the better of him. And yet, no matter what, he was determined to not let Rukawa know that.

            'Hmph! The Tensai saw it much earlier!' he said in that extraordinary loud voice of his. Rukawa just continued staring at him with that unemotional look, which suggested to Sakuragi that he was terrible in acting, and that Rukawa definitely didn't believe what he said. 

            Then all of a sudden, darkness enveloped the both of them… the whole school to be exact. They heard all kinds of shouts coming from the cafeteria. The happy whooping from the boys. The terrified screams of the girls. The questioning 'what is this?' from the smarter students… and yet, they could not hear it at all. 

            The déjà vu that struck them both was so strong that they fell to their knees, trying to keep a clear course in their thoughts. 

            _The darkness…_

_            The malevolence…     _

* * * * * * * * 

            In Kainan High School, it was lunchtime, and all the students were talking happily, loudly, scaring away whatever stray dogs that might be roaming around there. All the students, except one. Soichiro Jin. Even though everything was going on normally-had been ever since school started today-he still felt a little worried… and very unsettled. 

            Looking around, Jin thought that he was being a little to cautious, especially when there was nothing at all to be cautious about. So what? A mark on his finger did not bring any meaning whatsoever. Why couldn't he act normal just the way others were?

            But the feeling clung on to him the way a famished mouse would cling on to whatever food it sets its eyes upon, no matter how disgusting it was. He excused himself from his group of friends uneasily, and walked towards the gym. As he was walking along the corridor, he realized one very odd fact. There was no one, not a single soul, out of the cafeteria.

            'That's odd,' he whispered to himself. However, before he reached the gym, he was just a foot away from the gym in fact, when the darkness descended.

            Jin's breathing became a tad bit more ragged. For some inexplicable reason, he was scared, no, terrified of the darkness, something that was very rare. He drew in breaths by gulps, forcing his lungs to continue functioning. Feeling unstable, he leaned towards the wall, hoping that he could still keep his balance. 

            The darkness was so… deep, that he felt blinded by it. Clenching his hands, he realized that he could feel it… and amidst all the shouts of from his fellow school-mates, he also realized that he could hear it. Its swift breathing, its hungry call. Shudders twisted themselves up his spine. And yet, surrounded by darkness, the rational part of his mind still strived to function. Surrounded by the darkness, Jin wondered whether he was going mad.

* * * * * * * * 

            In Shoyo, Hanagata rubbed his hands together. For some reason or another, he felt extremely cold… and scared. 

            'Toru?' Hanagata turned towards his best friend who was sitting beside him.

            'Yeah?'

            'You look different. Are you all right?' Hanagata nodded sullenly. And yet, his heart drummed a little faster than usual, and was quickly picking up speed.

            _What is you problem? That fortune teller was just pulling your leg, fooling around with you!_

Flashback… four days ago.

            'Toru, as your birthday treat, I'll take you to the fortune teller living in that weird shack,' Hanagata's brother said. 

            'Urgh! Fortune tellers! No thanks!' he replied, wrinkling his nose. His brother's face was immediately lit up with a dervish smile. 

            'Are you scared? Fine, I dare you to go there!' Frowning, Hanagata fell straight for the bait, saying,

            'Fine, I'll go. And by the way, I'm NOT scared!' 

* * * * * * * * 

            The whole place was filled with thin strings of cobwebs. 

            _Jeez! Why on Earth did I agree to do this? I questioned myself furiously. All the weird things hanging at the doorway jingled as we entered. There was some kind of weird aura around that place. Was it… fear? _

            _Well, it sure is freaking me out! I thought to myself, looking around nervously. _

            'Can I help you?' A spooky voice greeted us.

            _Yeah! Can I get the hell out of here? I thought sarcastically turning towards the voice. My eyes fell on a tall lady, wearing a ridiculous long-sleeved dress that went all the way to her toes. It was far from ridiculous… it was ludicrous, considering the heat. Her long hair swept behind her… green, and it looked natural-coloured too. I shuddered involuntarily. Big hoops hung from her ears. Her wrinkled-covered face told me that she was practically sixty. But the thing that scared me most was her eyes. They were an illogical eccentric blue colour… and yet, it seemed to hold wisdom, and it left a queer feeling in me, as if she could read my mind. _

            _Man… talk__ about gypsies. _

            'My little brother wants to have his fortune told.'

            'Come here, don't be afraid, my son. Sit!'

            _Funny how you can ask me to not be scared when your voice definitely suggests that I should! _

            And yet… yet, her voice held authority, and it lulled me to obey her words. Obediently, I sat in front of the glass ball.

            _Your voice does not tally your age._

            And yet, I sat there, patiently, while she looked into the glass ball and hummed some stupid crap. It seemed to go on for hours, and I was getting more nervous. The very room suggested that I should anyway. 

            Then, all of a sudden, she screamed! A chilling, spine-tingling, high scream. A got so shocked that I nearly fell off the chair.

            Stumbling backwards, pointing at me, she muttered all kinds of nonsense, which didn't in the very least relieve me from the nervousness that held me captive.

            'You… you… the ancestral evil. It's you!' she gasped.

            'Huh?' I asked her, totally bewildered. 

            _What the hell?_

            I glanced at my brother, hoping to see at least some help there, but what I saw didn't relieve me at all. Instead, it sparked a tiny fire of fear in my heart. And that fire was definitely getting bigger, spreading. 

            His face was just neural! There was no shock! That face displayed no fear! It remained emotionless.

            I stood up abruptly, accidentally knocking the glass ball down. It shattered into a million pieces. And amidst the shards of glass…

            _Blood started oozing out!_

            I vaguely heard another scream from the lady. I, on the other hand, was shocked speechless. I just stood there, watching, as the blood twisted itself into the number four.

            'Wh… What?' I asked, turning to her, pointing at the number. Her face was coated with fear so great that I gasped. She spluttered something inaudible.

            'What the hell is that?!" I asked again, this time there was a hint of anger in my voice-a put on anger. I was far to scared to actually be angry.  The weird aura and the atmosphere in the room weren't helping in anyway to abate my fear either. 

            _It's so miserable terrifying in here… and what's with that idiotic black cloth flapping around?_

            I was scared stiff… and that cloth at the end of the room, was still flapping around lazily, as if mocking me. 

            'In four days! The ancestral evil will make its appearance in four days!' she screamed hysterically. And that was it. I could get no more out of her. She just continued screaming and screaming, tears streaming down her face. Tears from those glittering sapphire-blue eyes.

            'What? What on Earth is the ancestral evil?' The blood was spreading, the number dissolving. And yet, all the lady did was scream. The weird ornaments jingled steadily, although there was no wind at all. I felt… bitterness… wickedness, swirling in the room, just like the imaginary wind was swirling in the room, jingling the ornaments. 

            'Toru, let's go,' my brother said. I turned towards him. And for just one moment, my breath caught in my throat. There was something in his eyes… a spark of recognition. And that was enough to make my blood run cold. But that look was there for a while. It was gone a moment later. And yet, there was still no shock whatsoever written on his face. 

            We walked out, leaving the screaming gypsy… and for some reason, I felt sorry for her. I turned to look at her one last time… but what I saw was something much more terrifying. The blood on the floor was _expanding**, and at the same time, rising. It was entering the woman's body, but the woman only continued screaming, as if not aware that the blood was seriously entering her… and yet, she was changing before his eyes. The remaining blood on the floor twisted itself into two words.    **_

            _Toru Hanagata_

Back to the present…

            'Hanagata!' Hanagata's eyes which were misty snapped back into focus immediately. He looked at Hasegawa who called him questioningly. Hasegawa just pointed at Hanagata's hands. He looked down.

            His burger was smashed between his hands… and oozing out of his burger was…

…blood

            … red sauce. 

            The déjà vu struck him so strongly. He stood up quickly, dropping the burger onto his plate at the same time. 

            'Toru?' Fujima really sounded worried this time. 

            'Er… I need to wash my hands,' he mumbled, walking towards the restroom. While washing his hands, Hanagata replayed the sudden impulse, the sudden word that had crossed his mind at that time, freaking him out more than anything else had. 

            _Blood…_

            It was so… different, so startlingly frightening. 

            _What made me think that? What the hell happening in here?_

_            Stop it! It was nothing! It's just your nerves, and stupidity, believing what you saw at the gypsy's place! Remember what happened when we reached home?_

Flashback… four days ago.

            'Oni-chan… what the hell was that?' Hanagata asked after they had put several miles between themselves and the fortune teller. His brother looked at him surprised. 

            'Huh?' Hanagata stared at his brother disbelievingly.

            _Where were you the whole time I was at the stupid gypsy's place scared to death with everything happening? In a farm? Hanagata fumed._

            'What on Earth is the ancestral evil? What's with that gypsy, and the stupid glass ball which seemed to ooze out blood?' he asked, a little hysterical now.

            'Haven't you ever been to a fortune teller's place before? Anyhow, you are already seventeen, you should know by now that they never tell the truth.'

            'Then why did you bring me there?' 

            'To get over your fear. You may not know why you're so scared of the gypsies, but I do. There was a time, when you were like four, we brought you to a fair, and something like that happened. It was a little different at that time, and the gypsy died before your eyes… I won't go into details… but since then, you never dared to go within ten feet near any fortune teller. I must admit, I never expected any such thing to happen, but they're all false. Maybe I made a mistake to bring you to such a psychotic fortune teller, but as I said, I didn't know such a thing could… would happen… but whatever it is, they aren't real okay?'

            Hanagata knew that he was always scared of a fortune teller, but the reason had always been vague to him…

            _They are false…_

  Back to the present…

            Hanagata turned off the tap.

            _Oni-chan__ said it's… they are not real! Of course they aren't!_

            And yet, no matter how much he tried to convince himself, he himself knew that deep down, he could never believe it.

            Taking a deep breath, he walked out.

            _I'm all alone…_

            Hanagata was shocked. Why on Earth did such a thought… how on Earth did such a thought actually enter his brain? And yet… that thought was so… sure.

            _Something's wrong with me today…_

_            And that was when the darkness hit. It was so sudden that Hanagata gasped aloud. Following the darkness, he heard the screams and shouts. But they sounded odd… muffled. It was like he was momentarily cut off, and whizzed away somewhere, accidentally leaving one part of his brain, and one ear behind. _

            _Seconds later, he heard it, louder and much clearer then the screams coming from the cafeteria. Nearer too._

            'Ancestral evil…'

            The voice whispered it again and again. Hanagata fell onto his knees, the voice driving him crazy. 

            _I'm all alone. Nobody can help me! _

A/N: Okay, not all that good, I know. You know, I was never scared when writing the Terror… fic, but the last part of this chap, for some reason or another freaked me out!!! Probably b'coz I was writing at night… well, I don't want to bore you… so pls REVIEW!!!!!! Thanks a lot!


	4. Meeting

**Title: Malice in Darkness**

A/N: Yay!! Finally gotten chapter 3 written… hope you guys like this…

**Chapter 3-Meeting**

            'What the hell happened?'

            'I dunno sensei. The whole school was suddenly blanketed with darkness like ten minutes ago… then… then…' here the student paused.

            Maki stared at the teachers who now were standing at the entrance of the cafeteria a little suspiciously. He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

            _If they don't know what happened, how will they know how it did?_

_            But it wasn't that which made fear slide though him. It wasn't even close to it. He didn't care how on Earth the __thing happened, but… his gaze fell on Takotah sensei…_

            _Jin… where are you? Why on Earth do I feel so worried about you?_

_            The boy who was talking to the principle was now looking a little apprehensive. He was a third-year, and Maki absently recalled that he was in the same class as he was. The boy looked around at his friends for support, eyes shining.  _

            'Well?' the principle asked. 

            'Then, suddenly… green light sorta filled the whole place. It was not just a light… it was different… there was something else… like a different element in it. It made the cafeteria… I dunno… peaceful?' one of his friends tried to explain it, hesitating for he could not find the words to actually explain the whole thing.

            'Yeah! And after that, the light just… disappeared. It didn't fade away, it was just… replaced with the normal daylight,' the first guy spoke up again. 

            'Demo… where were you all, sensei? Didn't you see the light? If you didn't, then why are you all here?' a freshman asked, a little rudely. The teachers, caught off-guard looked a little…

            _Shy? Maki asked himself, totally surprised, and for the first time since the appearance of the light, his mind left Jin and roamed around, pondering on why the teachers were looking shy. And then, it hit him. He understood at once. It was so clear, as if there were bright red neon signs on top of their heads, saying 'I was scared, what did you expect me to do?'_

            _You guys only came to the cafeteria because you knew that we would be here. You came here because you didn't want to be alone, right? Maki shot to them, in his mind of course, though he did wish to say it aloud. The amount of bitterness that his thoughts contained shocked him. But at least that explained the reason as to why they appeared here so fast. It was barely ten seconds after daylight appeared again before the first teacher made their appearance. _

            _Jin!_

            A voice seemed to roar in his brain, chasing all other thoughts away. Maki flinched a little, wondering just what the heck was wrong with him at the moment. 

            _Why? Why am I so worried about him?_

_            Maki stood up, trying to shake off the feeling. _

            _I'll prove that there is nothing to worry. I'm just being stupid!_

            The whole cafeteria, the whole _quiet cafeteria's attention was on Maki. Maki frowned a little, but dismissed all other irrelevant thoughts._

            'Do any of you have friends that aren't in the cafeteria now?' Maki asked, his eyes darting, trying to see everyone at once. No one, not one person lifted their hands, they just looked around, not searching, but just looking. Kiyota and Mutoh who were beside him started fidgeting nervously.

            'Not one? Not one of your classmates is out there?' he asked again. A ripple of whispers broke through the silent crowd. Then several voices said…

            'Jin. Soichiro Jin.' 

            _He's the only one. He's the only one not in the cafeteria! So much for relieving my fear! Maki thought sarcastically, biting his lips at the same time. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kiyota and Mutoh standing up beside him. They darted out of the cafeteria, no doubt in search for Jin. He followed their suit. _

            'Jin! Jin-san!' Kiyota's voice floated up to Maki. Following their own instincts, they all headed straight for the gym. They just _knew that Jin was in the basketball court, and though it didn't take a wizard to know that, the knowledge for some reason scared… terrified him. _

             Maki turned around the last corner, and caught sight of Jin. An unconscious Jin lying on the floor, outside the gym, eyes shut tight… his right hand balled into a fist… and from that fist….

            _Oh my! OH MY GOODNESS!!!! The light! The green LIGHT!!_

* * * * * * * * 

            Everyone blinked at the bright sunlight that was flooding into the cafeteria. The once silent cafeteria was now filled with whispers and shouts. 

            'What was that?' Kogure asked, not directing his question to anyone in particular. Heck, he wasn't even all that curious for the answer, it just seemed right for him to have asked due to the situation. He felt, for some reason, worried… and that had chased all the curiosity away.

            'Hanamichi? Hanamichi? Where IS he?' Yohei asked, nervous for practically no reason. He was aware of the noise that had suddenly… burst from the silent cafeteria. When the light appeared, the cafeteria had been so… silent, so peaceful. The light was so… tranquil, and now that it's gone and the noise had returned to full blast, Yohei felt some illogical fear for Sakuragi trying to pry its way into his heart. 

_            What's wrong with me? He can take care of himself! Yohei scolded himself, looking around, feeling, for the first time, claustrophobic in the school's cafeteria. _

            _Why do I feel so… cramp up? Is it possible that everyone__ is in the cafeteria? Why???_

            And suddenly Yohei was sure of it. _Everyone was in the cafeteria. Everyone… except, Sakuragi… and maybe…_

            'AHHHHHHHH!!! RUKAWA!!!!!'

            Yohei turned towards the entrance of the cafeteria, where the scream came from. He knew who was screaming… it was obviously a fanatic fan of that Kitsune, as Sakuragi called him… but it didn't contain the usual awe it used to. This voice contained… fear and worry for their beloved RU-KA-WA. And that very tone sent icy waves of fear cascading down his back.

            'Ah. Sakuragi-kun, Rukawa-kun…' Yasuda, one of their team members said in shock. Yohei stood up, dread filling him from head to toe, trying to find a suitable place to settle in, and it finally decided on the pit of his stomach. He craned his neck, trying to get the floor of entrance into his line of view, which was nearly an impossible task considering the amount of people, mostly girls, crowding there, but finally succeeded. 

            Yohei's breath caught in his throat. 

 Flashback, around five minutes ago…

            Yohei fidgeted a little, but didn't make a sound.

            _No need to add to the noise pollution, Yohei thought incoherently, but totally logically. Girls were screaming their head's off in the dark. Boys were whooping, somehow enjoying the company of the darkness. Yohei could swear that he even heard a girl screaming 'Hentai!' He wondered how they could all be so… unguarded, so happy-like. As for him, he felt evil intentions, desires, swirling in the cafeteria, settling on some of them… mostly boys…_

            _The darkness… it invited the evil? Or was it here because of it?? Damn! Why do I feel so fearful?_

_            Then, suddenly, silence filled… no it didn't fill the cafeteria, it crept into it. It crept in so subtly, that Yohei was hardly aware of the descending silence. As to why it was it was suddenly quiet, he had practically no thoughts on it… yet. He was too amazed at the ability of the students to shut up._

            But after several seconds savoring the silence, he started having thoughts on it, and the reason became obvious almost immediately. It was the light, the faint purple glow that was lighting up the whole place… and following it, the blue glow. Somehow… _somehow, he could distinctly see both lights. __Distinctly.__ They didn't overlap each other, they didn't swallow each other. In fact, they seemed to harmonize… and yet…_

            The lights enveloped all of them, pulling them, tugging them, and filling them with wonder, peace and serenity. He felt the light, the tranquility replacing the darkness and the evil intentions. Then, suddenly, abruptly, the light was just replaced with the harsh, glaring daylight, and the peace disappeared in a wink.

End of flashback…

            Two tall freshmen lay on the ground, almost on top of each other, a little farther up the aisle that was leading away from the cafeteria. One was a red-head, another, a raven black-haired…

            _Sakuragi and Rukawa_

_            But the worst thing was… their right hand. From Sakuragi's a faint and mellow purple glow shone through, shone out. Blue, clear blue and peaceful light was emitted from Rukawa's_

            _What…?_

_            Yohei continued staring at the two rivals on the floor, fear roaring in his head._

* * * * * * * * 

            _Hanagata!_

_            That was the only thing on his mind the whole time, ever since the light was somehow cut off, and it was still in his mind now, that the light had um… reappeared. Fujima raked his hair back, worried to death for his friend… and yet, together with the worry, he couldn't shake off the feeling, the terrible evil feeling that had found its way into his mind when that… voice had spoken._

_            Ancestral evil? What the hell is that?_

            The whole cafeteria had been as silent as… a library, or a rock, or whatever the simile was, when the soft, malevolent-filled voice… intruded into the cafeteria.

            _Intruded.___

_            A shiver crawled up his spine. There was no other word for it… it had, in a way intruded into the cafeteria. Nobody had invited it… the same way nobody had invited the darkness…_

            _Hanagata!!!!_

            Fear and horror encased Fujima as his mind returned to his friend, Hanagata. He _was acting weirdly, very weirdly today, so Fujima was not going to tell himself that his fear was baseless. Anyway, Fujima had the right to worry. He had no idea why Hanagata was acting the way he was… and right now, he was getting more worried at the thought of him. He stood up, catching almost the whole cafeteria by surprise. Gasps could be heard, and even Hasegawa flinched at his sudden movement._

            'Hanagata,' Fujima mouthed to Hasegawa, who merely nodded, and followed him out, thousand of eyes tailing them. Fujima's heart skipped a beat as he stepped out of the cafeteria.

            _I can practically hear it in my ears… What the hell is wrong in here?_

            Again, Fujima flicked his hair back, a nervous reaction.     

            Unconsciously, Fujima crossed his fingers, heading towards the nearest toilet. As he reached the final turn, he broke into cold sweat, and ran his hand through his hair yet again. 

            Finally, he reached, and turned… and he saw Hanagata on the floor, knocked out. Fear filled him, cold and black… and yet, he wasn't surprised. There was worry, but no elements of shock at the sight in front of him. It was as if he had expected this to happen. Behind him, he heard Hasegawa gasp.

            'Toru… TORU!' he heard someone shouting. He had half a mind to tell the person to shut up, but his mind was too busy racing back, racing five minutes back, recalling the voice, malice-filled voice that had done the whispering…'Ancestral evil.'

            _Did the ancestral evil really get him? _

_            Matte! What is wrong with me? There is no such thing as the ancestral evil, and if there is, what on Earth is it? Why would it want to get Hanagata? Another part, a more logical part of him intervened. And yet, Fujima found that for once, he couldn't listen to the logical part of him. He couldn't afford to listen… _

            Suddenly, Fujima realized that someone was shaking him, had been, in fact, for a long time already. Fujima tried to clear his mind as he turned to face the person who was holding him in such a strong, firm grip.

            ',,, hold of yourself, and stop that screaming, he isn't dead.' Fujima blinked, and shut his mouth after catching the last part of the principle's 'speech', realizing a little too late that it was him who had been screaming. He had already attracted almost the whole school with his scream.

            _What is the ancestral evil? What happened to Hanagata?_

            Then, another scarier thought intruded into his mind…

            _Was Hanagata the only one out of the cafeteria? Was he… alone?_

* * * * * * * * 

            Rukawa stood up shakily, rubbing his eyes, but the image didn't disappear. The light was still there… the magical, magnificent white light.

            _Image?... it's real… and yet again, this place is empty…_

            Or so he thought, until his eyes fell on…

            'Jin-san? Sakuragi?' Rukawa muttered hesitantly when he saw two of them beside him, on their backs. 

            'Rukawa?' Jin sat up, surprised. Turning to Sakuragi,

            'Both of you were in the dream last night too… why… what?' Jin muttered, noticing the surrounding. Contrary to yesterday, they weren't surrounded with darkness. This time, they were surrounded with white light. And he wasn't alone too, like he was yesterday, the other two were here.

            _What the heck? I don't understand anything__!_

            He looked down on his hands, and noticed the ring was on his finger, emitting a green glow that just… faded away into white light. 

            'What on Earth?' Jin muttered in soft wonder. He was now on his feet, but Sakuragi was still sitting down, staring at the vast… emptiness around him. And yet, unlike last night, he didn't feel empty on the inside.

            _The light.__ It's because of the light!_

            'Err… Sakuragi-kun, do you want to stay there until…'      

            'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!' Jin froze. Rukawa, who was dozing off suddenly looked up.

            'Ha-na-ga-ta?' Sakuragi asked, disbelievingly, articulating every syllabus. He was _sure… for some reason he couldn't explain, he__ knew. _

            'Honto?' Jin asked, wide-eyes. And then, looking at the vast emptiness, Jin realized that their light did not cover the whole place. It just lighted up a patch where they were…

            _Was someone out there? Someone feeling the emptiness that we felt yesterday?_

            But Jin knew that it was more than just feeling the emptiness. There was the evil… and yet, that wouldn't have made Hanagata-sempai scream like that, if it was Hanagata… but he did not disbelieve Sakuragi.

            Rukawa took a deep breath, all sleepiness blown out of him. And for once, he was worried, worried for Hanagata. Without the light, out there, which was where he assumed Hanagata was… Rukawa sustained a shudder.

            _It must be terrible._

* * * * * * * * 

            '_You're dead, Hanagata,' a child's sing-song voice pierced through him. It was so clear, so soft… and so innocently __evil. He could feel shudders coursing through his body. He looked around trying to find the source of the voice… and stopped a second later, realizing that it was impossible to see anything in the infinite darkness. _

            Hanagata felt a cold thread of terror sliding down his back.

            _It's so cold… and hostile… Where the heck am I? _

            _'I'll get you…' again, the childish sing-song voice. Although it was not loud, Hanagata flinched, skating up to the brink of panic, but not quite over the edge yet. He pushed his glasses up the sweating bridge of his nose. Though it __was cold, he was sweating like mad._

            Then, suddenly a thought crossed his mind.

            _I am alone, No one can help me… Alone in the dark._

_            'That's right,' the voice again. _

            Now, he _was threatening to cross the edge, the brink into panic. He bit his lips, hard drawing blood._

            _What irony. I used to always want to be left alone… and I was the one who preferred night to day, desired to sleep without any lights what-so-ever…_

            A laugh escaped his lips. A laugh, not out of lightheartedness, but out of fear, a laugh, which was uttered only to relieve some of the pain and fear he was trying to hide. 

            _Anyway… alone or not, it doesn't hurt to try._

_            He hesitated, and then let out a scream. A scream filled with fear of… fear for…_

            _A voice?__ Am I scared of an innocent childlike voice?_

            _'Don't try it, Toru-chan,' the voice said with mock sympathy and closeness. _

            '_You're alone… and even if you're not, who on Earth in the right mind would help you? Nobody wants too, face it ne Toru-chan?'_

            _No, I'm not scared of it, I'm terrified. Damn it! Why is it so cold, and filled with hate? What is its damn problem?_

_            Where is it?_

_            Hanagata stopped screaming, suddenly, pondering on that question. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know the answer… but he had to know… not out of curiosity, which was of course the last thing on his mind right now. It was something else… but he __had to know. _

            It was so cold in here, so cold and dark… like the voice. Cold, hostile… black not only with darkness, but also infinite hate and inhumanity… but where… what was it?

            _What can it do to me?_

            Now Hanagata really did cross the brink, into a world of panic. His heart hammered in his chest as he looked around wildly, and yet, no matter what, no matter how he squinted, all that surrounded him was darkness so deep and intense, that he felt choked. 

            _Shit! Where the hell is it??!_

_            'I'm all around you…'_

            Hanagata felt his heart stop pumping blood and oxygen to the rest of his system. He tried, forced himself to gulp in mouthfuls of air, but failed. Something was pressing down on him… and even though he was alone, or at least so he thought, he felt a strong wave of claustrophobic overcome him.

            His mind, having given up on trying to force him to breath, just called out helplessly for help. Just before he lost all consciousness, he saw, or at least thought he saw white light… and with it, three figures that looked oddly familiar. 

            _Jin? Rukawa? Sakuragi?  _

            '_Those seeking for help shall find it, if they believe in the friends they have… and if they are strong enough. They shall find it, if they have a will and purpose to need that help.' _

_            Now, that voice is peaceful… appeasing._

            By now, his heart had managed to continue pumping, but…

            Faintly, he felt more than heard the other voice, the childlike and mocking voice shrink away… fleeing away…

            Then, he fainted, hardly remembering anything… only wishing that Fujima was here, as he always was beside him…

* * * * * * * * 

            At the exact same moment Hanagata's body hit the ground, Koshino tripped and fell.

A/N: So, what do you think about it? *grins* you know what to do, right? Okay, I really don't mind flames, do feel free to criticize and condemn (but don't make it sound so bad lar… I just want to know my mistakes). Well, ja-ne, minna-san


	5. Koshino?

**Title: Malice in Darkness**

A/N: Err… I'm REALLY sorry about the long break… if you guys read my other fics, I did commend that I would have to hang this fic for a while because of a major writer's-block. I'm gpoing crazy, trying to write so many fics at one time… well, after this chapter, this story is probably going to lie for say… er… a long time??   

**Chapter 4- Koshino?******

            'Hanagata! Hanagata! Wake up!' Fujima had been trying to do that for the past hour, but to no avail, so it was quite understandable that he cringed when Hanagata suddenly did wake up.

            'Err… Toru? Daijoubu?' Fujima asked timidly. Hanagata blinked stupidly, staring back at Fujima, muttering incoherently. 

            'Toru?'

            'Another dimension, another world… Jin, Rukawa and Sakuragi… I need help,' on and on he droned. Fujima just stared, trying not to panic. Suddenly Hanagata stood up, having made up his mind to visit Kainan High, he strode away, leaving a very wide-eyed Fujima staring at him. After five steps, Hanagata stopped, as if just realized that Fujima had been there, and turned back. 

            'Gomen, Fujima. I've got to get to Kainan High, so I'll be a little late for practice.' After five seconds, he added, 'Ja-ne,' and walked on. Fujima, being curious, and worried tailed him. 

* * * * * * * * 

            'Hanagata-san,' Jin greeted quickly when they met up… which was not in Kainan High, but in a park in between both schools. Sakuragi and Rukawa was with Jin-that was the first thing Hanagata noted. From there, his eyes traveled towards Kiyota, Maki, Mitsui and Ryota, who had no doubt, like Fujima followed them with obvious curiosity and worry. 

            'Err…' Hanagata looked at the four students behind Jin. Jin looked behind him indifferently, then shrug, looking pointedly at Fujima. 

            'Okay… anyway, what the hell happened just now?' 

            'I… we don't know, but the day before, the three of us did have a dream too…' Jin filled Hanagata in on the 'dream' that they had, showing his their forth finger as proof. He also told Hanagata his side of story about what had happened to _them before they met him. _

            'Fujima, has Hanagata been acting weirdly lately?' Maki questioned a bewildered Fujima. Miyagi and Mitsui quicly turned their attention away from Jin-Hanagata's conversation, where they were getting lost in between tangled details, to Maki and Fujima, waiting for Fujima's answer. Fujima looked thoughtful for a while, then shook his head. 

            'Well, at least not as weird ly as suddenly fainting, then waking up an hour later muttering something incoherent about another dimension and walking to a park and meeting up with Jin,' he answered. 

            'Didn't the teachers do anything when he woke up?' Maki was talking softly, as if he was worried about being overheard. 

            'No… he was left in the nurse's office.'

            'Same here,' Mitsui muttered.

            'Yeah, Jin too,' Maki said thoughtfully, his eyes flicking between Jin's group and Kiyota, who was busy whistling at cute girls. 

            'Stupid monkey! A shame to Kainan!' Maki muttered, when his eyes fell on Kiyota. 

            'Jeez… what the hell is happening to them?' Fujima cursed feeling frustrated.

            'We've got practice in ten minutes guys, let's go!' 

            'Err… in a minute, Maki-sempai,' Jin called out. A minute later, Maki walked over to Jin, and pulled him away from the group, grabbed Kiyota, and started off in the direction of Kainan High School. Fujima called out to Hanagata, and both of them walked off. 

            'Rukawa, Sakuragi, we've got practice too!' Miyagi shouted to them.

            'Oi, Rukawa! Darn, he's asleep. Baka!' Mitsui nearly screamed in frustration as he watched the taller boy drool. 

* * * * * * * * 

            'Koshino, daijoubu ka?' Sendo asked a little surprised. They had been walking with no obstacles at all, but Koshino had just fell down… somehow. And yet, no matter how Sendo looked at the situation, it just seemed as if Koshino was clumsy… something near impossible when talking about the black-haired boy in front of him. 

            Koshino sat up slowly, rubbing his knee, while blood streamed down from a cut at his forehead.

            'I don't think so,' he replied as he used his hand to rub his forehead. His hand came back bloody. 

            'Ku'so!' 

            'Yeah you don't look okay. Did you hit your head? Do you know your name? Do you know me?' 

            'Sendo! This isn't funny!'

            'Who said it was? This is standard procedure… err… okay, okay, I'm sorry. How'd you trip anyway?' Sendo changed the subject at the glare that Koshino gave him. 

            'What?'

            'How'd you trip?' Sendo's tone of voice was not mocking, but interested. Koshino opened his mouth, and after a moment snapped it shut.

            _How had he fallen? _Why_ did I fall? And... why do I feel so weird? _Suddenly Koshino sat up straight. _Why… how… what the hell am I hearing? _

All of a sudden, to Sendo's utmost surprise and horror, Koshino's body went slack, and his eyes unfocused. Sendo kneeled down, shaking his friend gently.

* * * * * * * * 

            _White light?__ Where am I?... who's that… Hanagata –sempai? Why is he on the floor? Koshino tried to call out to him, but couldn't. he then noticed that there were three figured standing around Hanagata… three familiar figures. They seemed to be trying fighting off some… some force… Suddenly, Koshino felt a black shadow fly pass him. _

            It seemed to radiate some power… _evil. Koshino shuddered, and turned his attention back to the four of them… and realized that he could feel their fear… hear them…_

_            Those were… those three are… Jin? Rukawa? And… don't tell me it's him…_

****'KOSHINO!!!'

            Koshino sat up straight, saw Sendo holding a bucket and asked, 'What the hell happened?' 

            'Good question, Hiroaki Koshino.' Sendo said sarcastically.

            'Why did you pour water on me?' 

            'Ah, another good question,'

            _'What did happen to him? Doesn't he know?'_

Koshino looked up, feeling a little weird. There was something weird about how Sendo said that. Something very weird…

            'What did you say?' Sendo gave a look.

            'Ah, another good question?' He said uncertainly.

            'No, no, after that!' Koshino said urgently. Sendo was still looking confused and worried. 

            'You said something about not knowing what happened… you don't know?' 

            'Err… no, I don't know… do you?' Sendo asked. Now he was not only worried. He was curios, and also a trifle scared. There was something wrong with Koshino because he had not said that he didn't know what happened. He had _thought_ it. 

            _'Maybe I should bring him to a doctor.'_

            'I don't want to go to the doctor, Sendo!' Koshino said impatiently, 'I want to know what happened!' Sendo stared at him, now, not only  a trifle scared, but really freaked and worried. 

            'How the hell did you know what I was thinking?' Sendo breathe out.

            'I dunno! Sendo…' Koshino's eyes suddenly widened, as he realized what he had just done. He had just… just… read Sendo's mind…

            'God… what the hell happened?' he looked up to Sendo with worried eyes, seeking for comfort and a little reality, all but receiving the same stare back. 

* * * * * * * * 

            'Jin… What's wrong with you? You've been acting weird, very weird ever since the stupid darkness hit. Do you know what happened?' Maki asked, his eyes boring holes through Jin. 

            'I myself dunno what's wrong, Maki-sempai. But something's going to happen. Something big… something bad…' Jin broke off shuddering. Maki sighed.

* * * * * * * * 

            'Rukawa, Sakuragi, out with it! What's wrong with you people?' Mitsui asked as they stepped into the gym. Rukawa merely ignored him, nodding away.

            'Nyahahahahaha! Only the Tensai knows! Sakuragi screamed… uncertainly.

            'Shut up with the Tensai! Spill it!' Miyagi shouted crossly at Sakuragi. Nevertheless, he did detect the uncertainness in Sakuragi, something very rare. 

            'I…' However, Akagi entered at that exact moment, and Sakuragi was spared from answering. Akagi punched all of them, and ordered them to get ready for practice.

* * * * * * * * 

            'Toru,' Fujima began hesitantly. They were still a few metres away from Shoyo High School, but Fujima had stopped walking. Hanagata stopped too, looking at Fujima questioningly, though a little apprehensively. 

            'Yeah?' 

            'Are you okay? Why… I mean… what… Jeez… you know very well what I mean, Toru,' Fujima said softly, and a little tentatively. Hanagata stared at him a long time, as if surveying him, then sighed softly. 

            'I dunno… Seriously, I'm telling you, Kenji, I dunno. ' The look that Fujima gave him was obvious disbelieve. 

            'Toru, I've known you for a REAL long time, and you know better than to try to lie to me,' Fujima reprimanded, stressing on the word 'real'. 

            'If I told you, you'd think I'm mad… anyway, I'm really not sure!" Hanagata said. then, he sighed again at the look that Fujima gave him.

            'Forget it, we're late, I'll tell you later.'      

A/N: Well, I've told you guys what happened to Koshino…. Okay, hope you guys liked this…. And please review okay?? Right, this fic is going to sleep for a while…


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